Debates of Feb. 15th, 2017

Health

[Jane Philpott, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Edmonton Centre for this question.

Yesterday, our government announced that it is giving $5 million to Alberta's new First Nations Health Consortium for enhanced service coordination for first nations children in that province. According to its president, Tyler White, the consortium will eliminate many of the barriers faced every day by first nations peoples.

This initiative together with others shows that our government is fully implementing Jordan's principle.

Democratic Reform

[Scott Reid, Conservative, Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Democratic Institutions' mandate letter was made public on February 1, so it is curious that the minister continues to be evasive about answering apparently innocuous questions about the date on which she received the mandate letter. One possible explanation might be that she does not want to admit that on January 31, she was telling stakeholders that the government was still open to changes to the electoral system, when in fact, the decision to betray this promise was already known to her. After all, a week before her mandate letter was made public, she was in cabinet arguing passionately, we are told, thanks to the Prime Minister's leak on this subject, against a referendum on electoral reform.

When did she get that mandate letter?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Minister of Democratic Institutions]

Mr. Speaker, as my mandate letter was made public on February 1, as it was to all Canadians that day, I was pleased to give a press conference on it at that time. I reached out to stakeholders the day before, because as Minister of Democratic Institutions, I believe it is important to engage with Canadians on all sides of the political spectrum. I continue to do that, and I will continue to do that moving forward. I look forward to implementing this mandate and to working with everyone in the House.

Public Safety

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, three years ago in this place, we passed something called Lindsey's law, an act to create a DNA database for missing persons. It is named Lindsey's law out of respect for a missing person. Her name is Lindsey Nicholls. Her mom is a friend of mine. She is a constituent. Judy Peterson fought like a tiger to get something that would allow law enforcement to compare the DNA at crime scenes with missing persons. That bill was passed, but it was delayed and would not come into effect until 2017. Now Judy Peterson has been told that there is an additional year's delay.

Can the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness tell us if he can stop there being a delay and bring it into force?

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, we all share the pain of those whose loved ones have gone missing, and we strongly support efforts to help law enforcement with missing persons investigations. This includes the creation of the DNA-based missing persons and victims data bank. We are in the final stages now of doing the necessary due diligence, both with respect to cost sharing and privacy protection. My goal is to have this system up and running before the end of this year.

Presence in Gallery

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

As today we celebrate National Flag Day, and in light of Canada's 150th anniversary, I would like to draw to the attention of hon. members the presence in the gallery of Mrs. Joan O'Malley. Mrs. O'Malley is the distinguished Canadian who sewed the first Maple Leaf flag ever flown.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear!

Oral Questions

[Adam Vaughan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, as members know, Standing Order 18 protects all members of this House from offensive words spoken by any other member of this House. Words and actions carry weight.

I would like to bring attention to events which took place yesterday during question period. When the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities stated that he was a former bus driver, members of the opposition began to laugh.

I think I speak for many members of this House when I say that laughing at the previous employment status of a member of this House is offensive, especially when that service was a public service to the people of this country.

Every member of this House deserves to represent their constituents. Every member's diversity of employment adds to the richness of this House. I would ask that the laughter be withdrawn and the record be corrected. This is offensive to the values of this House, to the values of Canadians, and to the diversity of all of us.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I thank the member for Spadina—Fort York. I, of course, would wish that all members would be careful in their words and actions in this place.

I believe that other points of order will cover the same topic today.

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I would agree. We all come from various backgrounds, and that is why we are called the House of Commons. We represent the people: farmers, bus drivers, receptionists. We represent everybody.

There is all kind of laughter that occurs here. We absolutely respect and honour all of the jobs that we have done, and the experience that we bring to this House.

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I heard the member for Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles say that the Liberals are the most crass people. I believe that is unparliamentary language.

Therefore, I invite him to pause and reflect, apologize, and withdraw his remarks.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

As I have already said, I request that members be careful in what they say, that they be discrete and choose their words with care.

The hon. member for Beloeil—Chambly

[Matthew Dubé, NDP, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, recently you underscored the importance of not questioning the veracity of another member's comments and of not calling them a liar. In particular, you told us not to do indirectly what we cannot do directly.

It is for this reason that I think it is inappropriate for the Minister of Public Safety to say that repeating a falsehood does not make it true. It is pretty obvious that his statement was doing something indirectly that we cannot do directly.

It is especially odd considering that the hon. member for Outremont, the leader of the NDP, had every right to comment on the government's silence on Monday. I will not get into a debate here, but I would ask the minister to withdraw his comments.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I see the hon. Minister of Public Safety rising.

Before he does, I would request that members be careful in what they say. Clearly, one does not accuse another member of this House of intentionally misleading the House. This phrase was rather close to that, a little closer than I would like.

I wonder if the Minister of Public Safety would like to speak.

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, in the interest of maintaining good order in the House, if that comment was close to the line, I am happy to withdraw it. I simply want to assure Canadians that the issue under debate was indeed being taken seriously.

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, today being February 15, I would like to seek the unanimous consent of the House to observe a minute of silence in memory of the Patriots of Upper Canada and Lower Canada, especially those who were executed or exiled.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Does the hon. member have the unanimous consent of the House to move the motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

No.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

There is no unanimous consent. Perhaps some discussions on the matter could be had among the parties.

Foreign Affairs and International Development

[Bob Nault, Liberal, Kenora, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the sixth report of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development entitled “Division and Human Rights Violations in Burundi”.

Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to this report.

Taxation

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition signed by campers who stayed at Lovesick Lake Park in Burleigh Falls, Ontario, located in the heart of the Kawartha's, in the riding of Peterborough—Kawartha.

The petitioners call on the government to ensure that campgrounds with fewer than five full-time, year-round employees continue to be recognized and taxed as small businesses.

Health

[Bernadette Jordan, Liberal, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition that has garnered over 1,400 signatures from across the country. It was started by a man in my riding who has Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

The petitioners are asking the Government of Canada to implement a national disability assistance program for Canadians with chronic disabilities, to fund life sustaining medical equipment, and to provide access to the necessary services to allow them to optimize their functionality over the course of their lifetime.

I am happy to present this petition.

Organ Donations

[Len Webber, Conservative, Calgary Confederation, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition in support of my private member's bill, Bill C-316, which was submitted by Don Kryskow of Calgary.

The petitioners from Calgary and Red Deer are calling on the House to improve the organ donation system in Canada by making the process easier to register as an organ donor. This would be achieved by adding a simple question to our annual tax returns.

Every organ donor has the potential to save eight lives, but we need to make it much easier to register as a donor.

Access to Uncensored Documents

[Randall Garrison, NDP, Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present e-petition 608. This petition calls on the cabinet to exercise its authority under the Canada Evidence Act to designate the Military Police Complaints Commission as one of the bodies permitted uncensored access to documents. This issue is particularly important, given the Military Police Complaints Commission's ongoing investigation into the role of the Canadian Forces in the alleged abuse of Afghan detainees.

Access to uncensored documents in this investigation is especially important as the Minister of National Defence has refused to authorize an independent inquiry into the issue of complicity in the torture of Afghan detainees, which was a decision taken despite the apparent conflict of interest arising out of the minister's own potential role as a key witness in any such inquiry.

Democratic Reform

[Lloyd Longfield, Liberal, Guelph, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition from a group of civic-minded constituents in my riding of Guelph.

With 36 signatories, the petition entitled “A petition to ensure Canadians have a fair electoral system” is calling on the government to continue discussions on electoral reform and to introduce a system of proportional representation.

While the 2019 election will not include a new voting system, I believe that by keeping the dialogue on electoral reform alive, we will be able to engage Canadians from coast to coast to coast to take a keen interest in their democracy and how to improve it.

I will continue to present my constituents' initiatives on electoral reform to the House, and look forward to my continued work with them in Guelph.